--- title: "United Arab Emirates: Language and intakes | Arman Education" description: "Language requirements and application intakes in United Arab Emirates." canonical_url: "https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes" locale: en meta: "og:description": "Language requirements and application intakes in United Arab Emirates." "og:image": "https://armaneducation.com/og/country-uae-en.png" "og:image:height": "630" "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "United Arab Emirates: Language and intakes" "twitter:image": "https://armaneducation.com/og/country-uae-en.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://armaneducation.com/llms.txt) United Arab Emirates # **United Arab Emirates: Language and intakes** Language requirements and application intakes in United Arab Emirates. ## **Language requirements and intakes**
**Language requirement**
English-medium instruction is standard at the universities checked, but each sets its own test minimums. Undergraduate examples: Khalifa University IELTS Academic 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 79 (postgraduate: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 91); UAE University IELTS 5.5 / TOEFL iBT 70 (or 90% in English on the MOE Grade 12 certificate; Duolingo, TOEFL Home Edition and IELTS Indicator not accepted); Zayed University 80% in Grade 12 English or TOEFL iBT 72 on the current admissions page (an older FAQ lists EmSAT 1250, IELTS 5.5+ or TOEFL iBT 71+); Heriot-Watt Dubai undergraduate entry IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 5.5 (PTE 50-57; TOEFL iBT 72 for tests taken before 21 Jan 2026); RIT Dubai full admission IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL iBT 79 (conditional admission IELTS 5.0-6.0 / TOEFL iBT 61-78; Duolingo and PTE not accepted for undergraduate applications); NYU Abu Dhabi requires an English proficiency test for most applicants whose first language is not English (score table not retrieved); University of Sharjah accepts IELTS, TOEFL or PTE (score table not retrieved, certificates older than two years not accepted; IELTS 5.5 exempts from remedial skills courses); University of Birmingham Dubai accepts IELTS, TOEFL or PTE (scores on a separate page not retrieved). Secondary-school certificates not following the UAE MoE curriculum usually need an MoE equivalency certificate (UAEU, Khalifa).Source
**Intakes and deadlines**
Two main intakes: fall (September; applications for some universities close in July-August) and spring (January/February). Zayed University: Fall (August/September) or Spring (January/February), apply by end of July/start of August (fall) or end of December/start of January (spring). University of Sharjah: Fall and Spring (admission for Fall 2026/27 stated as closed). RIT Dubai: Fall deadline 22 August, Spring deadline 8 January (early and regular phases earlier). Heriot-Watt Dubai: September and January. University of Birmingham Dubai: January or September 2027 entries. Khalifa University: undergraduate admissions will not be offered for Spring 2027; Fall 2027 applications to open (timeline not yet published). NYU Abu Dhabi undergraduate: Early Decision I 1 November, Early Decision II 1 January, Regular Decision 5 January via the Common Application (year not stated on the page).Source
[**Language and exam preparation **→](https://armaneducation.com/en/services/language) ## What to watch for in Language and intakes - Verify the language tests and minimum scores your target programme accepts. - Plan the validity of the result around your application and visa dates. - A programme taught in the local language may need a separate language-proficiency timeline. Information on this page is compiled from official sources and was verified on the date shown. Fees, dates and visa rules change often; check official sources before applying. Empty fields have not been verified yet; ask our advisor for the current information. ## **Let us plan the right path for your goals** In a free initial consultation we review your profile, budget and goals, and narrow down the countries and universities that fit you. [**Free consultation**](https://armaneducation.com/en/contact?country=uae) [**How we work**](https://armaneducation.com/en/how-it-works) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/en#website","@type":"WebSite","inLanguage":"en","name":"Arman Education","url":"https://armaneducation.com/en","publisher":{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/#identity"},"workTranslation":[{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/tr#website"},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/ru#website"},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/ua#website"},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/kk#website"},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/az#website"},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/ar#website"}]},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"Language requirements and application intakes in United Arab Emirates.","name":"United Arab Emirates: Language and intakes","url":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes#breadcrumb"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/en#website"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/#identity","@type":"Organization","name":"Arman Education","url":"https://armaneducation.com","logo":{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae/language-and-intakes#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Home","item":"https://armaneducation.com/en","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Countries","item":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries","position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"United Arab Emirates","item":"https://armaneducation.com/en/countries/uae","position":3},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Language and intakes","position":4}]},{"@id":"https://armaneducation.com/#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Arman Education","contentUrl":"https://armaneducation.com/icon-512.png","inLanguage":"en","url":"https://armaneducation.com/icon-512.png"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://armaneducation.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.